Italian ski star Dominik Paris shines in tight World Cup super-G for second win in three days

KVITFJELL, Norway (AP) — After just one World Cup race win in three years for Dominik Paris, the Italian star made it two in three days Sunday.

Paris was the only racer to break clear in a super-G of tight margins, on a course shortened by fog on the mountain, and added to his downhill victory Friday.

Take Paris out of Sunday’s race and the top 30 including six of the United States team all would have been within one second and James Crawford, the 2023 world champion from Canada, would have won.

Paris was there, however, as the standout racer 0.38 faster than Crawford and 0.47 clear of third-placed Miha Hrobat.

“The feeling was amazing," the 35-year-old Paris said. "Seeing the green light in the finish, that’s nice.”

The German-speaking Italian with the French-sounding family name is most at home on the Norwegian slope that staged the 1994 Olympics races.

He now has six of his 24 career World Cup wins at Kvitfjell, where he also completed a weekend double in downhill and super-G in 2019, and won a downhill in March 2022.

“It’s a good hill for me but I didn’t know it was like this. It’s more than I expected,” Paris said.

That 2019 season was a career peak for Paris. He won a career-best seven World Cup races, plus his only gold medal — in super-G at the 2019 worlds — and his only World Cup crystal trophy, for the season-long super-G title. That success came after spending the summer recording an album as a singer in a heavy metal band, Rise of Voltage.

Marco Odermatt placed fourth, 0.01 behind Hrobat, though his season-long super-G title was confirmed in midweek when his closest challenger, Paris’s teammate Mattia Casse, was injured crashing in a training run for the downhill.

It was the first time in 17 men's speed races this season, in the World Cup or world championships, that no Swiss skier was on the podium.

“It’s quite an achievement, I think. They are really, really good this year,” said Hrobat, who twice was third in downhills when beaten by two Swiss racers.

Odermatt earned 50 race points Sunday and has an unbeatable lead of 210 in the super-G standings before the last race March 23 at Sun Valley, Idaho. It is his third straight super-G title.

The Swiss superstar's fourth straight overall World Cup title also is assured with a 570-point lead over Henrik Kristoffersen and just six races left. Though 600 points can be won, Kristoffersen does not race in downhill or super-G.

Kristoffersen will be favored to pick up points next weekend when the men’s World Cup circuit stays in Norway for a giant slalom and slalom at nearby Hafjell.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Second placed Canada's James Crawford, celebrates with the team after an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Third placed Slovenia's Miha Hrobat celebrates after an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

The winner Italy's Dominik Paris celebrates after an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

The winner Italy's Dominik Paris celebrates after an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super G race, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Slovenia's Miha Hrobat reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Canada's James Crawford reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Italy's Dominik Paris reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Canada's James Crawford speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super G race, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Italy's Dominik Paris speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup super G race, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Italy's Dominik Paris reacts after completing an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Franco Colapinto says replacing another Formula 1 driver during the season is “never nice circumstances” and he doesn’t believe his five-race deal with Alpine is long enough.

After Australian rookie Jack Doohan was dropped amid wider upheaval at Alpine, Colapinto was promoted from a reserve role last week to partner Pierre Gasly starting this week at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Colapinto, who drove nine races with Williams last year, has a commitment from Alpine that he'll get only the next five races to show what he can do. He said that might not be enough time to shake off the rust.

“Everything is new again, we start from zero," Colapinto said Thursday. "Of course, it wasn’t the nicest, after doing the last nine races of last year, to kind of step out. It was not what I wanted, but it was a good time to kind of reflect on what happened last year and to learn from it.

“Happy to be back, and of course never nice circumstances when it happens like this, when you step in another driver’s seat, but you never really choose the moment you do it in Formula 1.”

The 21-year-old Colapinto is back in Italy where he made his F1 debut last year when Williams dropped struggling American driver Logan Sargeant before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

This time, the Argentine says he feels more relaxed — even if he is “a bit rusty, maybe” — and delighted to be back, with strong backing from South American fans.

“Monza was like a massive excitement and everything was new, and it was the first time I was going to be a part of a Formula 1 week," he said. "So here it feels a bit different. It’s still my dream come true so the feelings are the same.”

Alpine has promised Colapinto only five races followed by “a new evaluation” in July, so he needs to make the sort of quick impact he did with Williams last year, scoring points in his second race.

Still, he said, that might not be enough for Alpine to see him at his best. Colapinto flagged up comments this year by the experienced Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. that he might need as many as 10 races to get used to his new car after switching from Ferrari to Williams.

“After you’ve heard Carlos saying that he needs 10 races to get used to a car, I think five is not enough for me (after) I drove nine in all my life in F1,” Colapinto said. “So it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five, to get up to speed and maximize everything out of the car. But it is what I have and I just want to maximize it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team."

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)